Heather Weidner's Blog, page 77

Are You Growing as a Writer?

The pandemic has turned everything upside down, and nothing is quite as we expected it to be. I’m trying to keep a regular routine for my writing life. Lately, I’ve also attended a lot of classes and conferences online. As a writer, you need to keep growing and learning. You need to stay relevant. Here are some things you can do to improve your craft, build your platform, and boost your name recognition.

Make sure that you are writing. If you can’t or don’t feel like writing every day, write when you can. Set small goals to help you stay on track. Celebrate your successes.

Take a class or a workshop. There are lots of free or low cost events out there on every topic. You need to hone your writing skills, but don’t limit yourself. There are online tours of interesting places and things to see. You never know what might become research for a future story.

Find a podcast that you like. There are some really good ones out there on writing and marketing. My favorites are the true crime and weird history ones.

Get a writing partner or critique group. This gives me a deadline each month for new pages. Plus, interacting and chatting with others is a good break from the craziness of the world we live in right now.

Make sure that you take the time to revise and rewrite. This is often the hardest and most time consuming part. You need to fix plot holes and character inconsistencies. You also need to look for repetitive words, fluffy content or dialogue that doesn’t move your story forward, and too many dialogue tags.

Make time to work on your social media platforms. Share, like, and comment on others’ posts. Build your following.

Decide where you want to go as a writer. Find others in that genre and look at their websites, blogs, and interviews. See what they did or didn’t do in their writing careers.

If you’re stuck on your current WIP, put it down for a little while and do something else. Sometimes, all you need is some space.

Start a new writing project.

Stay current with the publishing trends in your genre. Know what’s popular (at the moment) and see what’s selling.

If you want to improve and grow as a writer, you need to be resilient and adaptable. It’s hard work. There are a lot of disappointments and celebrations. The publishing industry is in a constant state of flux, and you need to be aware of what’s going on in the industry and the book world. Try something new today. You may be surprised.

#ThisorThatThursday Author Interview with Susan Van Kirk

I would like to welcome author, Susan Van Kirk, to the blog for #ThisorThatThursday!

Things you need for your writing sessions: First, I need total quiet. I can’t listen to music because I might write the lyrics into my book. I also need my notes and research, my laptop (obviously), and my list for the day. I outline what I plan to do the next day so when I’m ready to write I know where I’m going.

Things that hamper your writing: I can get unfocused by phone calls or email, especially if either involve something that needs to be done immediately. Leaving my computer to get more coffee or water… and things over which I have no control, like my next-door neighbor mowing his lawn.

Things you love about writing: Typing “The End.” I would much rather edit what I’ve written
than actually write it.

Things you hate about writing: Discovering that the murder timeline won’t work…for the
third time.

Hardest thing about being a writer: Having patience.

Easiest thing about being a writer:

Researching interesting ideas, especially if they are historical. I was a history major in college but ended up teaching English my whole career. Since I love history, I’m currently writing a series that goes back to different historical time periods. I must drag myself away from the research if I’m going to get the book written.

Favorite foods: This is easy. Dark chocolate or anything with the word
“dessert” in the name.

Things that make you want to gag:  Curry…can’t even stand the smell of it. Leek soup…I had that too many times on a tour of the United Kingdom. Arugula…It’s too bitter for me.

Favorite music or song: Classic Rock…I have so many memories tied up in that music.
The Beatles, Rod Stewart, Joni Mitchell, Donovan, the Beach Boys, the Eagles, Bob Dylan. I was in high school and college in the 60s.

Music that drives you crazy: Heavy Metal…Too loud and not my style.

Something you’re really good at: Collaborating with people on writing projects. I began
writing literary CliffsNotes in the 90s, and I had to learn to work with three editors at a time. I loved it, and I learned the skills I needed for writing novels and collaborating with people from that experience. Of course, a career in teaching also involved a lot of collaboration.

Something you’re really bad at: Keeping my mouth shut when my adult children don’t ask me for advice. Part of me thinks a lifetime of experience should be helpful, but then my brain takes over and says, “Just shut up.” Occasionally, I listen to my brain.

Something you like to do: I love to have the time to get lost in a great book. Right now I’m reading Erik Larson’s The Splendid and the Vile about the Churchill family in WWII. But I must read in snippets since I have a deadline looming. Sigh.

Something you wish you’d never done: Locked my car keys in the trunk of my car after buying groceries. I set my purse down in the truck with the keys in it, and shut the truck, forgetting my purse was there. Fortunately, I had my phone, but my house keys were in the purse, and my other set of car keys was in my house. With the brand of car I have, I thought I couldn’t lock it with the keys inside, but I guess that safety setting didn’t involve the trunk. Not going to do that again.

The last thing you ordered online: A set of ten Nancy Drew books for my twin granddaughters who are turning nine.

The last thing you regret buying: A gift for a friend that I ordered from a website, not realizing my order would be shipped from China. It was only six weeks late.

Things you always put in your books: Secrets, small towns, murder, and a likeable protagonist.

Things you never put in your books: Overt violence. There is enough of that out in the real
world.

Things to say to an author: I couldn’t put your book down, so when does the next one
come out? Can’t wait.

Things to say to an author if you want to be fictionally killed off in their next book:You have a typo on page 205.  Just thought you’d like to know it.

Favorite places you’ve been: The Lake District in England. It is so beautiful, and the
flowers and gardens are handled with such care. I think if God lived somewhere on earth, this would be the place.

Places you never want to go to again: Florida. I’m sure there are people who love Florida, but it is too hot, too humid, and has too much traffic for me.

The coolest person you’ve ever met: President Barack Obama, but only with a handshake and a few words. He was running for the US Senate from Illinois, and I heard him speak at the local small college where I worked. Loved his eloquence, his intelligence, and his leadership qualities. Coolest person I’ve ever met.

The celebrity who didn’t look like he/she did in pictures/video: Robert Redford, not that I met him. My brother interviewed him one time and took a photo with him. He was far shorter than I imagined he would be, and I was surprised. However, that didn’t change his good looks or that million dollar smile.

The nicest thing a reader said to you: You made that small town come alive so I could see it. She was referring to my small town of Endurance and a book, Marry in Haste, where I had to imagine the town in the present day, as well as one hundred years in the past. That was great fun.

The craziest thing a reader said to you: Where did you come up with the name Grace Kimball? That’s my name, and I know we don’t know each other.

About Susan:

Susan Van Kirk is a writer of cozy mysteries. She lives at the center of the universe—the Midwest—and writes during the ridiculously cold and icy winters. Why leave the house and break something? Van Kirk taught forty-four years in high school and college and raised three children. Miraculously, she has low blood pressure.

Susan Van Kirk’s Endurance Mysteries: Three May Keep a Secret, Marry in Haste, The Locket: From the Casebook of TJ Sweeney and Death Takes No Bribes. Encircle Publications published
her latest book, A Death at Tippitt Pond. Three May Keep a Secret will be published once again by Harlequin’s Worldwide Mystery imprint July 1, 2020. She is a member of Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, and the online Guppy Group.

Let’s Be Social:
Website:  www.susanvankirk.com

Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/SusanVanKirkAuthor/

Twitter:  http://twitter.com/susan_vankirk/

Pinterest:  http://www.pinterest/com/sivankirk/

Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/susanivankirk/

Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/author/show/586.Susan_Vankirk

Overcoming Fear and Doubt - Tips for Writers

All writers doubt themselves and their writing ability from time to time. I think it’s good if it motivates you to revise and rework your writing and to hone your craft. But doubt and fear shouldn’t debilitate you. If you want to be a published author, you need to be able to accept criticism and suggestions for improvement.

Joining a critique group was the hardest thing I’ve ever done as a prepublished writer. I had worked really hard on my manuscript and was ready to share it with the world, who would be equally as thrilled as I was. After several of the sessions, I wanted to give up and find something else to do. While the feedback wasn’t all bad, it was overwhelming. It felt like everything I did was wrong or could be better. To make it less overwhelming, I took notes as they offered suggestions. Then I waited a couple of days to go back through their comments and make edits. The extra time helped. I was able to get over the “you called my baby ugly” first reaction and really look at their comments.

If you are serious about your writing, you need a critique group or a writing partner. These folks will help you work through plot holes and problems. It also builds confidence, and you’re able to see growth and improvements in your writing. Friends and family love you, but they don’t tell you about the parts that really stink. And you need to hear that part.

It takes a lot of courage to let someone else read your work. Make sure that you’re in the right mindset before you start. Your goal is to get published. Your book has to be the best it can be for that to happen. Learn from the feedback and strive to improve. You’re going to get criticism that you don’t like or don’t think is fair. You can’t take it personally if you want to grow as a writer. (Once you’re published, you’ll face reviews and comments that aren’t always nice or fair.)

Publishing is a business. Agents, editors, and publishers want to sign the best books that will sell. The industry has its ups and downs and fads come and go. Typically, what you write now won’t be published for 1-2 years. And rejection is a big part of the process. You will write many query letters and proposals, and for many of them, you may never hear anything back.

When you get negative comments or rejections, give yourself time to react to it. Work through it. Learn from it, and keep writing. Always be professional. You don’t need to snap back. Don’t do or say something rash that will come back to haunt you later.

Author Jenny Milchman gave a wonderful presentation to my group about her publication journey. Check out her website for her story. It is a good lesson about the ups and downs of the writerly life.

I love my writer friends. I can share losses, disappointment, and celebrations with them. They understand.

Turn the negative energy of doubt and fear to the willingness to improve and to try new things. It will make you a stronger writer. Celebrate the successes and learn from the criticism.

#ThisorThatThursday Author Interview with Kaye George

I’d like to welcome mystery author Kaye George back to the blog for #ThisorThatThursday!

Favorite thing to do when you have free time: In the times we’re having now, nap and
binge watch Netflix are tied for first.

The thing you’ll always move to the bottom of your to do list: Cleaning the house.

Favorite snacks: Lately I’ve developed a string cheese habit. In fact, I just went and got a piece. And chocolate. Dark chocolate in any form.

Things that make you want to gag:  Okra.

Favorite smell: My late husband’s pillow. He was in a home at the end and they washed every single thing before they gave it back to me. There was nothing with his smell on it. But the pillow on our bed still, after a couple years, retains something of him.
Something that makes you hold your nose: Okra

Something you’re really good at: I’ve realized recently that worrying is my super power. It’s good to know your strengths, I think.
Something you’re really bad at: Remembering things I don’t write down.

Something you wanted to be when you were a kid: A really young, kid? I used to follow the garbage truck up the alley, fascinated by their job. I thought there was something romantic about what they did, daring and brave. I thought, then, that I would love to have that job. You could see what everyone threw out. I grew out of that. But I still like to learn a lot about people and, honestly, that would be one way to do it.

Something you do that you never dreamed you’d do: I knew I never wanted to get married and have kids. I knew my life would be all dishes and laundry. I met a guy who was very convincing, and actually did get married and have kids. And it was all dishes and laundry. But with a soulmate and kids, and now grandkids. I wouldn’t trade my life for anyone’s.

Something you wish you could do: Right now? Go to any store I want to at any time, unfettered, with no worries.

Something you wish you’d never learned to do: Take precautions, wear my mask, disinfect everything, stay home. But I think we all wish that.

Favorite things to do: That’s easier to answer during a pandemic when you can’t do very much at all. I probably wouldn’t have given the same answers a few months ago. I now realize that seeing my kids and grandkids, being able to go into any store I want on a whim and browse the aisles, and regular grocery shopping are some of the things I miss the most.

Things you’d run through a fire or eat bugs to get out of doing: That’s probably the same. Sky diving. I’m afraid of heights and I think I’d be dead of a heart attack long before I hit the ground after passing out and failing to pull the ripcord.

About Kaye: Kaye George is a national-bestselling, multiple-award-winning author of pre-history, traditional, and cozy mysteries (her latest is the Vintage Sweets series from Lyrical Press). She is a member of Sisters in Crime, Smoking Guns chapter (Knoxville), Guppies chapter, Authors Guild of TN, Knoxville Writers Group, and Austin Mystery Writers. She lives and works in Knoxville, TN.

Book Links:
Revenge Is Sweet, March 10 https://www.amazon.com/Revenge-Sweet-Vintage-Sweets-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B07TS1KJ4T

Deadly Sweet Tooth, June 2 https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/deadly-sweet-tooth-kaye-george/1132868200

Let’s Be Social:
Emails: kayegeorge@gmail.com and janetcantrell01@gmail.com

Web page: http://kayegeorge.com/

Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/kaye.george

Facebook author page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Kaye-George/114058705318095

Goodreads page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4037415.Kaye_George

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/kaye-george

Twitter: https://twitter.com/KGeorgeMystery/

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/kayegeorge/

Amazon page: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B004CFRJ76

Blog: http://travelswithkaye.blogspot.com/

Group Blog: http://www.killercharacters.com/

Group Blog: https://writerswhokill.blogspot.com/

 

 

Knocking Down Writer's Block(s)

My sister gave me a set of writer’s blocks from Literature Lodge on Etsy. She chose Poe, Fitzgerald, and Baum. They sit next to my window/writing space. These are the only kind of writer’s blocks I like.

The impasse or deadends with writing are a problem. Mine happen when I write myself in a corner and don’t build enough tension in the story. Sometimes, I didn’t have a strong enough motive for some of the characters.

It gets frustrating when the words don’t come, or they aren’t what you want them to be. Here are some things I do to take my mind off the impediment (that I created).

Step away from the laptop. Go on a walk. Do something different.

Change the scenery. Go outside. Go somewhere.

Do another creative project (e.g. sewing, cooking, baking, painting, crafting,…)

Do a word or jigsaw puzzle.

Read. Reading is research.

I do my best plotting when I’m driving.

Exercise.

Meditate.

Listen to music.

I am usually able to get myself out of the corner and fix the problem when I’m not stressing about it. An idea often comes to me when I’m doing something else.

Lights, Camera, Action - Video Conferencing Tips for Authors

Welcome to the new normal that includes working and connecting in different ways. A lot of us aren’t YouTubers or TikTok experts, so it’s tough to get the right lighting and look. And you don’t have to invest in fancy cameras, microphones, or ring lights. Here are some tips to help you look and sound your best.

Location, Location

Find the best spot in your house. If you’re using a phone or tablet, you can be mobile. Experts suggest that you turn your phone on with the camera facing you. Then walk around your house and find a good spot with a lot of natural light. If you need your laptop for the meeting, you’ll need a spot where you can still type and use the mouse. Being in front of a window is good (unless the sun is shining directly in your face). You don’t want lamps/lights that are above or on the sides because they cast shadows.

You want your camera to be just above your eyes/forehead. You don’t want to be looking down (too much saggy chin), and you don’t want the camera pointing up your nose. You also don’t want to be looking off camera. Use books or other items to adjust the height of your camera. If you’re using a phone with a pop socket, you can hang it on a mug for an easy tripod.

Make sure your video spot is not in a major thoroughfare of your house. You don’t want interruptions or photobombs.

Check your background and make sure there’s no junk or clutter. Remember that sometimes, the camera picks up more than you think. I have a whiteboard in my office where I plot the next mystery. My team is always trying to see what’s on the board behind me.

Your Look

Ladies, you do want to wear some makeup, so you don’t look washed out on camera. Wear solid colors (but not white or black). Wear jewelry. My friend wears hats when she doesn’t want to do her hair. One team recently had crazy hat day, so everyone had an excuse to cover up a bad hair day. A lot of YouTube stylists suggest dry shampoo or wetting and styling your bangs on days you don’t want to do a full wash and style.

They Can See You and Hear You

They can see you, and sometimes, we forget that. Over the last few weeks, I’ve seen kids and pets photobomb calls. We’ve been interrupted by phone calls and delivery drivers. I try to remember to close the door, so they don’t see distractions behind me. Use mute when you’re not speaking to cut down on background noise. Also, if you’re multitasking, they can see that, too.

Practice Makes Perfect

Do a practice session and check your video and sound. If you’re working with a group of people, you may want to have a mini session to make sure everyone can logon, work the equipment, and host the meeting.

Make sure you know how to adjust your sound and camera. If your internet is slow, you will have issues with your video quality. The sound and the video may not match, and it will look like a 1950s dubbed movie. If you need to stream video, make sure no one else at your house is streaming or gaming at the same time.

Practice with the video conference tool. Most have similar features, but buttons, views, and functionality will vary. If you’re going to share your screen, make sure you have the files open and ready.

Some days, I get video conference fatigue. I never imagined that I’d be popping in to one video chat after another at the day gig. But it is a good way to stay connected and to see others when we’re quarantining.

Y’all be safe, and hopefully, we’ll be back together in person soon.

#ThisorThatThursday Author Interview with Nancy Nau Sullivan

I would like to welcome Nancy Nau Sullivan to the blog for #ThisorThatThursday!

A few of your favorite things: I love my old wool slippers, daffodils, and hard rain

Things you need to throw out: I should dump my clothes closet (why did I buy this, and THAT!), all these Tupperware containers, and the contents of my garage.

Things you need for your writing sessions: a window, a second cup of coffee, and quiet; a big table to spread out my notes, or, if any of the kids are around, I need my bed, my computer on my lap, and the door
closed.

Things that hamper your writing: I create interruptions—I did not have to sit on the front step with the neighbor’s cat for an hour this morning, vacuum the living room for the third time this week, and open Facebook and Twitter (I call it the Twitter hole).

Things you love about writing: I love the bursts of creativity, wondering where in the hell that idea, character, twist came from. The hours go fast and end up on the page in my computer.

The things I hate about writing: I don’t hate anything about writing. I hate all the time spent trying to sell it—I’m no salesperson, I just want to write, but that’s not the way the world is.

Hardest thing about being a writer: I want to get it right. I’m a former newspaper journalist. I had a boss once who said he’d fire anyone who got an obit wrong—I can still hear him. “It’s the last damn time anyone will write
about him so you better get it right.” I spend hours and hours researching, going through notes, editing, editing, editing. Checking. On one of my drafts I found 200 misspelled compound words, and they needed to be fixed for consistency and correctness. Grrrrr. Should have done it right the first time.

Easiest thing about being a writer:
I know I’ve earned my place at the computer, and I love sitting there and writing
the story. And now I am free to do it! It’s completely on me.

Things you never want to run out of: time, and chardonnay

Things you wish you’d never bought: the nine hundred pairs of shoes and boots, and, yes, the lawn mower that has never been used

Words that describe you: tenacious, thorough, devoted and loyal, creative

Words that describe you, but you wish they didn’t: opinionated, hot-headed, at times anti-social. My best friend in high school once said to me: “You’re right and the world’s all wrong.” Well, she was only partially
right; I’m wrong a lot and so is the world.

Favorite foods: pizza, baked potato, porterhouse steak, fresh sourdough

Things that make you want to gag:  beets tempura, okra, nopal, kale, the skin on a tomato, and especially,
bananas. I didn’t realize I was so fussy until I told my daughter-in-law I LOVE ALL FOOD. I don’t.

Favorite music or song: The Beatles, The Eagles, Andrea Bocelli, Chris Stapleton, The Avett Brothers, The Pistols at Dawn (my son’s rock group)

Music that drives you crazy: heavy metal and rap …I’ve tried to understand it, to like it, and I don’t. I sort of like A Tribe Called Quest.

Favorite beverage: beer—good old Miller High Life—and chardonnay—and lemon ginger tea
Something that gives you a sour face: all that craft beer that smells like watermelon, cotton candy, bubble
gum…really?

Favorite smell: jasmine, orange blossom, gardenia

Something that makes you hold your nose: musk

Something you’re really good at: writing and editing; remembering the names of books and their authors; sewing; pole dancing

Something you’re really bad at: directions, remembering song lyrics, public speaking (although I was a teacher for 15 years and I was very good at it. Still can’t figure that one out.)

Something you wish you could do:  I want to go to Australia and New Zealand and back to Vietnam.

Something you wish you’d never learned to do: Nothing, I love learning—even that third-grade math when I substituted in the classroom last year.

Something you like to do: write, swim, walk, travel—I drive to Florida at least once a year by myself. I love it. I turn up the country music and eat popcorn for 1300 miles, gape at Kentucky and Tennessee and the gorgeous
red earth of Georgia, and then I’m there, on Anna Maria Island, my favorite place in the world.

Something you wish you’d never done: Besides smoking—I wish I’d never listened to my mother. I gave up a fellowship at Medill School of Journalism, Northwestern, after undergrad. She insisted I “go into the market place.” I did. I finally got the master’s after my fourth son was born.

The last thing you ordered online: Books, books, books for my son who has started writing (Ann Lamott, Stephen King, Jessica Brody, all on writing) and for my nephew on his 50th birthday (Erik Larson’s new The Splendid and The Vile)

The last thing you regret buying: Another pair of boots. OMG. It’s the second pair this year, and I still go back to my old broken down ones with holes

Things you always put in your books: How the sun looks on the water, the trees, the stones and sand; the people—dedication and acknowledgement to those who helped me. I couldn’t do it without the generosity of so many beta readers, experts, editors, and publishers.

Things you never put in your books: porn, graphic violence, and profanity. Well, I had to resort to a bit of the latter in my prison saga, The Boys of Alpha Block, coming out next year from TouchPoint Press. It’s the way they talk, but I don’t think the language is gratuitous.

Things to say to an author: I love the way you do setting (or character, plot, description). Every author has a strong point, or many. Just tell them.
Things to say to an author if you want to be fictionally killed off in their next book: Will you review my books and give them all five stars, and will you do it now?

Favorite places you’ve been: Spain, New York, Anna Maria Island, Mexico, Ireland, Vietnam—so totally different and mind-blowing for so many reasons! My new mystery series that debuts in June with Saving Tuna Street will take Blanche Murninghan to Mexico City next, then to Ireland where she rents a castle, and on and on until she gets very tired and returns to her beloved Santa Maria Island (Anna Maria Island).

Places you never want to go to again: The boys’ prison where I taught English for five years. I wish we never had such a place, but we did, and I wrote about that, too, in The Boys of Alpha Block (TouchPoint Press, next year).

Favorite books (or genre): I love the Ann’s and Alice’s – Munro, Tyler, Patchett, Hoffman, Lamott, Beattie. They have a way of making the reader sit up and take notice and appreciate the world down to its finest, and sometimes regrettable, point. I love the police stories of Laura Lippman and the incredible description and characterization of James Lee Burke; so many—Sittenfeld, Allende, Semple, Amato, Harper, Moriarty, and all the books my cousin Charles sends me by new writers. I want to read more work by my Sisters in Crime. I read Vuong’s On Earth We Are Briefly Gorgeous, a new novel by the Vietnamese poet. I almost fell out of my chair the writing was so gorgeous.

Books you wouldn’t buy: anything sci-fi except Ursula Le Guin and Kurt Vonnegut

People you’d like to invite to dinner (living): My cousin Charles, my college roommate, Heidi, who I lived in Spain with, my good friend, Bobbi, an art teacher who I gossiped and smoked with so many years ago, Jamie Dimon (he’s reviled but he’s done some good stuff, too), Curtis Sittenfeld, James Lee Burke, and Alice Hoffman. I think eight is a good number for dinner.

People you’d cancel dinner on: I just wouldn’t go there. I know how to say no in the first place.

Favorite things to do: write, read, walk, travel, sit and watch the cardinals flit by the window. (I do too much of the latter.) I can’t wait for the hummingbirds to come back, and then I can waste more time daydreaming.

Things you’d run through a fire or eat bugs to get out of doing: Clean the oven. I actually ate bugs in Mexico—chapulines (grasshoppers) and they were pretty tasty and crunchy, but I don’t think I’d do it again.

Most daring thing you’ve ever done: Zip lining in Costa Rica—my cousin Kathy, the adventurous one, said, “What’s the worst that can happen?” As I looked 40 feet down through the tree canopy…

Something you chickened out from doing: Horseback riding, after falling off twice

The coolest person you’ve ever met: My dad, a funny, totally magnanimous Irishman who loved me unconditionally and believed in me

The celebrity who didn’t look like he/she did in pictures/video: Kiefer Sutherland—I met him backstage after a Broadway play. He was gracious, but sweating like nobody’s
business, and he’s very small.

The nicest thing a reader said to you: “I loved your book.”

The craziest thing a reader said to you: “I loved your book, but I had to find something wrong, so I gave it four stars.” My high school classmate. She’s still a card after all these years.

About Nancy:

Nancy Nau Sullivan is a former newspaper journalist and English teacher. She taught at a
boys’ prison  in Florida, in Argentina, and in the Peace Corps in Mexico. She returned to the setting of her memoir, THE LAST CADILLAC, to write SAVING TUNA STREET, her first mystery. She lives in Northwest Indiana and, often, anywhere near water. 

Let’s Be Social:

Twitter: @NauSullivan

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nancy.sullivan.9638

Facebook Author page: https://www.facebook.com/lastcadiauthor/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nancynausullivan/?hl=en

Website:  https://www.nancynausullivan.com

Clean up on Aisle 9 - Revision Tips for Writers

As I’m writing a new project, I keep a daily track of my word count to show progress. I’m a list maker, so that gives me a visual that I’m getting closer to the end game. And there is nothing more exciting than typing, “The End.” When the euphoria wears off, that’s when the realization that revisions are coming. I think editing is the hardest part of the writing process. Here are some things that I include in (many) revision cycles.

Run spell check after each editing session. No matter how careful you are, mistakes are made during revisions.

After each round of major edits, I print a copy and read it on paper. I find more errors this way than I do on the computer screen.

Make a list of your overused words. Mine are “just,” “that,” and “in a few minutes.” Use your find and replace feature to located and eradicate them.

My editor and agent have style guides. I always go through these checklists before sending a manuscript over for review.

Look for excessive use of dialogue tags (he said/she said) and mop ‘em up.

If you write a series, make sure the characters don’t pop up in the wrong book. I’ve done this before. My PI showed up by accident in another WIP.

Look for the “be” words (are, is, was, were). They’re indications that you’re “telling” the reader and not showing. Rewrite these sentences. They’re also weak verbs. You can make your story stronger by using active verbs.

Look at all the opening paragraphs of your chapters. Make sure they are unique and interesting. You want to draw the reader in.

Look at the closing paragraphs of each chapter. You don’t want to wrap things up too nicely and give the reader a chance to stop for the night. Make sure there is tension. Make your reader read past her bedtime.

Don’t short change your opportunities to build tension. Sometimes, we’re so excited to move on to the next thing in our story that we don’t take time to build tension around important scenes. Go back and look for these opportunities.

Look for long sections of dialogue and long paragraphs of description. Can you tighten these up to move the story along?

What would you add to my list?

#ThisorThatThursday Author Interview with Pamela Webber

I’d like to welcome author, Pamela Webber to the blog today for #ThisorThatThursday.

Things you need for your writing sessions: My computer, a notepad, and pencil

Things that hamper your writing: Necessary housework

Things you love about writing: Creating characters that become friends, settings that are life-like, and storylines that resonate with readers.

Things you hate about writing: Jumping through the hoops of publishing and marketing
Words that describe you: Loyal. Ethical. Questioning.

Words that describe you, but you wish they didn’t: Direct

Favorite music or song: All genres

Music that drives you crazy: Songs without a melody

Things you’d walk a mile for: A really good cup of coffee.

Things that make you want to run screaming from the room: Fanaticism of any kind.

Things you always put in your books: Life lessons I want my children and grandchildren to know long after
I’m gone.

Things you never put in your books: Overt sex. Books can be sensual and deal with sex related issues in fascinating ways without being graphic.

Favorite places you’ve been: Just about anywhere in the US, Spain, Africa/Botswana, Europe, Bermuda
Places you never want to go to again: Africa/Namibia. Beautiful place, but we were there during protests against a corrupt government.

Favorite books (or genre): To Kill a Mockingbird
Books you wouldn’t buy: Fifty Shades of Gray

Things that make you happy: My family, all of them.
Things that drive you crazy:  Being told by anyone how I should feel and react.

Best thing you’ve ever done: Marrying my wonderful husband
Biggest mistake: Underestimating evil people.

Most daring thing you’ve ever done: I spent a month in Peru at a deep Amazon research station and hiking the Inca trail to Machu Pichu.
Something you chickened out from doing: Skydiving.

The nicest thing a reader said to you: A reader compared my debut novel, The Wiregrass, to To Kill a Mockingbird, Tom Sawyer, and Of Mice and Men.

The craziest thing a reader said to you: A PETA member took me to task that one of my characters out
an out of control cat in a mailbox, even though the cat was fine.

About Pamela:

Pam Webber is author of the bestselling debut Southern novel, The Wiregrass, a Historical Novels Review
Editors’ Choice, and Read of the Month at Southern Literary Review. Her second novel, Moon Water, which was released in August garnered both of these honors as well. An invited panelist for Virginia Festival of the Book, Pam has also published extensively in nursing and is an award-winning educator and family nurse practitioner. She and her husband, Jeff, live in the Northern Shenandoah Valley.

Let’s Be Social:
Author website: https://pamwebber.com

Facebook: @authorpamwebber

Twitter: @pamwebber1

Instagram: @pbwebber1

BookBub: @pwebber1

YouTube: Pam Webber on YouTube

What I Learned from Jim Azevedo and Smashwords

This week, Jim Azevedo, Marketing Director for Smashwords, did a presentation to my writing group about epublishing. Here’s what I learned.

ebooks rarely go out of print.

The first step is to write a great book.

Everyone needs an editor and a proofreader.

ebooks are consumed differently than print books. They can be read on multiple devices and on screens that are different sizes.

Formatting is crucial for ebooks.

Smashwords offers some free style guides and other resources on their website.

The cover design is critical for your book.

If you purchase a cover design from an online artist, make sure that you have exclusive use of it. (You don’t want to see your cover with another title and author.)

Spend your money on editing and cover design. Don’t look like an amateur.

When readers look for ebooks, the cover is about the size of a stamp (thumbnail size). Your cover needs to be able to look good in a variety of sizes.

Be fanatical about quality.

When you price your ebooks, know your genre.

You need to maximize your book’s availability to a lot of sellers. Make sure you use a distributor.

When your cover is in draft form, compare it to the top books in your genre.

Your email list/newsletter is valuable. You own and control it.

Don’t blast your email list with too many newsletters.

Most books don’t sell well. There is no magical, silver bullet. Authors need to follow best practices and create the best book they can.